Had mini UBL and tummy tuck on March 21st. Had revision of mini UBL on Oct 11th

I am 5'2", 135 lbs and I live in Gainesville, FL....

6 Feb 2013

1 month pre

I am 5'2", 135 lbs and I live in Gainesville, FL. I have a lot of excess skin on my breasts and tummy from losing nearly 100 lbs. I went to two local surgeons and both of them advocated lifts with implants and anchor incisions, plus a tummy tuck. I have spoken to Dr. Horndeski by video conference and phone and he assures me that he can get good results with minimum scarring. I am hoping he is for real. All his reviews are so positive it makes me wonder if they are real. I would sure like to hear from anyone who has had similar work by him.

So I am scheduled for tummy tuck and breast...

9 Feb 2013

1 month pre

So I am scheduled for tummy tuck and breast augmentation and lift on March 21st. with a local PS. I have absolutely decided to cancel this though- I'm going to do this on Monday. He does the entire procedure in his office with his RN as his assistant. After thinking about being sedated for 6 hours with only 2 people it just scares the hell out of me. I'm really leaning towards Dr. H now. The indecision is driving me nuts. I had gastric bypass surgery in 2006- and everyone told me not to do it. I'm not sharing with anyone this time, so this is the only place right now I can unload.

There is nothing new to say here. My husband has...

20 Feb 2013

28 days pre

There is nothing new to say here. My husband has arranged to take time off of work and has booked the hotel. I have informed my employer that I will need 6 weeks off for "Abdominal Surgery" but I have told a couple of co-workers that I am having excess skin removed, basically tummy tuck. I don't keep the gastric bypass surgery a secret , and I have decided to be open about my tummy tuck also. Our manager had a facelift a couple of months ago, and I have heard a few mumblings of criticism, but I think she looks very nice. Besides being secretive kind of takes away from the excitement, and I am really excited. This extra skin is a result of losing a 100 lbs and I think it will encourage me to keep working at keeping it off. Besides I am 48 and the older I get the less I give a "F" what people think.

I did not realize that my surgery is scheduled...

14 Mar 2013

7 days pre

I did not realize that my surgery is scheduled only 7 days away. I am starting to pack now, because #1 we are leaving early Tuesday morning for Houston, and 2 I am working 12 hour shifts on Sunday and Monday.
I got the body pillow to keep me from rolling over in my sleep post op, and I understand we will need to get the bra after the surgery. Any suggestions on what I will need to pack for this?

My surgery is tommorow morning at 07:30am. My...

20 Mar 2013

1 day pre

My surgery is tommorow morning at 07:30am. My husband and I drove in to Houston and arrived late last night. The hotel that they recommended is really nice and a very reasonable price. It is a mini suite, it has full fridge and stove. living room and bedroom. Very comfortable for a week of recovery time.

I had an appointment this morning with the surgeon's office at 10:30am and everything went smoothly. We are set to be at the hospital tommorow at 0600 and the OR time is set for 07:30. I feel calm and ready to proceed. Dr. Horndeski explained how he does his procedure again, and I am very impressed. I expect to over night at the hospital with the slim possibility of having to stay 2 nights.
I was very anxious about having surgery out of town and away from my home, but this is not bad at all. As a matter of fact, now I can see an advantage. There will be no distractions from recovery time.

Three days post op:
So, I had the surgery on...

24 Mar 2013

3 days post

Three days post op:

So, I had the surgery on Thursday as scheduled. I don't remember anything from that day at all, but my husband tells me I was in surgery for just under 6 hours followed by 1 1/2 hours in the recovery room. I was supposed to go home on Friday but I had to stay an extra day because I couldn't manage to urinate on Friday and I had to do that before I could go back to the hotel. So yesterday afternoon I got discharged. I was glad to go home but I was still in really bad shape. My husband had to buy a small wheel chair to get me to the hotel room from the car.

I have to say, this hurts like a Mother F. Even with taking all the pain pills I am allowed, the ends of my tummy tuck incision feel like they are on fire when the pills start to wear off (every 2 hours). I can't stand up straight, when I walk I look like a little old stooped over lady. I have to go to the bathroom every hour or so and it hurts to get up and back down again. I alternate between feeling like everything is fine and feeling like I will never quit hurting. I never imagined this tummy tuck could be so painful. Right now it feels like and endless cycle of horrible pain.

On the upside, I have no pain whatsoever from my breasts. My husband says I already look fantastic, but right now it hurts too much for me to care. Dr H says removed nearly 3 pounds of skin from my tummy.

I go to see Dr. H tomorrow afternoon for a follow up.

I am now 9 days post op but I havent posted...

30 Mar 2013

9 days post

I am now 9 days post op but I havent posted anything because of what I am about to describe.

Last Monday (which was the date of my last post) my husband gave me a shower which was the first time I had removed my bra. He noticed that the back of the bra was really cutting into my skin so we called Lisa and she said to get a bigger bra and meet her at the office on Tuesday. We went in and got the bra straightened out and I was walking out of Dr Hs office with my husband supporting me. I got 3 steps out of his office and passed out, completely unconcious. My husband and Lisa picked me up and took me back into the office, where they laid me down and Dr H. came running over from the surgery center. I came to pretty quickly (maybe 30 seconds) and Lisa and Dr. H. examined me and checked my heart rate and blood pressure and decided I was probably OK. I was about to go back to the hotel, but Dr. H said he would feel a lot better if I went to the ER and got looked at. That saved my life.

We went to the ER a couple miles from Dr. H office (Methodist Hospital) and they brought me in right away. After a lot of tests it turned out that when I passed out it was because a massive blod clot had broken loose from my leg and into my heart. It then broke up into a bunch of pieces (possibly when I fell or my husband picked me up) which wound up in my lungs.

The doctors at Methodist used a new procedure called an EKOS to break up the blood clots. I was in the ICU for 2 days but now I am back in a normal room. They will probably send me back to the hotel today.

The pulmonary doctor made it pretty clear that I am really lucky to be alive. If the clot had passed while I was asleep or even alone in the hotel room I would not have survived.

Dr. H and Lisa have been really supportive and have come by and visited me. I think I am pretty much back to the healing curve I would have been on had none of this happened. I guess the good side of it is that they have been giving me IV dilauded in the hospital, so I haven't been feeling much of the pain from my tummy tuck.

So I survived, thanks be to God. I looked at myself in a mirror yesterday and I do love the results. The tummy tuck pain is still exruciating when I am not on pain meds. I was totally unprepared for how much this procedure hurts. I sure hope it quits hurting soon.

I am also currently 20 pounds heavier than before the procedure. It is all water weight of course, but it isn't going away very fast and am really puffed up all over, especially my legs and butt.

Does this ever get better? I feel like I see the light and the end of the tunnel but damn this has been hard.

I will post pictures when I am less puffed up.

Well I am back in my Hotel suite. I was discharged...

31 Mar 2013

10 days post

Well I am back in my Hotel suite. I was discharged from the hospital last night. I feel like a had a huge step backwards, but now I am back on my recovery path. I am going to make the first part of my entry an update on progress and the results of my surgery. Then I am going to describe some of my feelings about this. First off I finally looked at myself butt-naked in the mirror and I absolutely love my boobs. I definitely have some upper pole firmness, and nice cleavage. Very Pretty Boobies. I can also see that my stomach is nice and flat. However, I gained 30 lbs of water weight since my surgery and so my skin is tight tight tight. I received a lot of IV Fluids while in the ER and during the clotbusting procedure. I am skinny some places and fat in others. Swelling is mostly in my legs,back and butt. So I think I will like my tummy tuck when this is healed, but I can't tell quite yet. Also I want to say that although a Pulmonary Embolism is listed as one of the more serious risks on the consent form for surgery, I never believed in a million years that it could or would happen to me. Based on this premise-of course I did not want to go to the ER and be checked out after I passed out. Never mind that my heart rate was 150 and my blood pressure was low and I felt like total "shit". I was just dehydrated and needed some fluids. I googled Pulmonary Embolism and the only symptom I did not have was the "drop dead" part. Also I am a Critical Care RN for over 20 years and it never entered my mind that I might have a blood clot, This is called DENIAL, and it almost cost me my life. (Just had to throw that in there) Now I need to tell you a couple things I thought were funny that really don't have much to do with reviewing my surgery: My youngest daughter (she is 25) came to see me when I was in the ER and the Pulmonary Doctor came in and said " You have multiple little blood blots in your lungs, Since you have survived this initial episode, we need to decide your course of treatment from here on out. I am going to start a Heparin drip and this will prevent any more clots from forming and it will take about 9 months for your body to absorb. Also I don't think you should be up walking around, if you need the rest room use the wheel chair or bedside commode." So my daughter wheeled me to the bathroom in the ER and I'm sitting there trying to pee and she is acting all worried. I said "I just had an important thought. If some thing were to happen to me, you know how I always said I wanted to be cremated, Well scratch that request. If I die from this I want to be buried in something low cut that really shows off my cleavage and also shows my skinny waist line." We had a good laugh about that.

I am home now, and at 2 weeks out I am feeling...

5 Apr 2013

15 days post

I am home now, and at 2 weeks out I am feeling much much better. My tummy still hurts of course.I'm getting around better and better each day. If it wasn't for the incisions I wouldnt even know I had my breasts done. They don't hurt at all. I love how my breasts look under clothes. I'm waiting for the silicone to drop lower so my breast will take on a nice round shape. My belly incision is healing nicely. I have dog ears on either side of my lower abdomen, but I have been assured that this will either go away or be simple to fix. Even though I had some complications, I would have this surgery again and I would choose the same surgeon. It feels wonderful to be up and about in my own home. My husband went back to work and my only job right now is to take care of myself. It would be hard to be looking after little ones at this point, but lucky for me my little ones are canine and they happily take naps in the afternoon.

At 17 days. Still sleeping on my contour pillow...

7 Apr 2013

17 days post

At 17 days. Still sleeping on my contour pillow but able to get in and out of bed myself. Pain is mostly under control now but still have muscle spasms in my tummy on occasion, no pain in the breasts at all.

I am hoping that the dog ears on my hips and the loose skin under my breasts will resolve themselves, if not I guess I will have to go back to Houston for a touchup. My daughter lives in Houston so it won't be too big of a deal and I don't want anyone else but Dr. H to touch my breasts.

OK, so I am 25 days post-op. I am off all my pain...

15 Apr 2013

25 days post

OK, so I am 25 days post-op. I am off all my pain medications, but sometimes I still wish I had some. Especially at night. I am still sleeping on my shaped pillow, although I can lay on my side for brief periods of time just for a brief cuddle session. Ha he has a new playground but it still isn't open. I am still pretty sore. My abdomen is still pretty achey.. Sometimes just taking a hot shower or changing positions helps. I'm still pretty much just hanging out around my house. I feel like by breasts and abdomen are looking better I will post pictures tomorrow. I still have some loose skin under my breasts, but the silicone is dropping down, and the dog ears on my hips are getting a little better. I am feeling much better in my clothes, and I have dropped 5 lbs. I would like to lose about 8 more lbs from my back and side, and I can't wait to start working out again, but so far I am not even walking my dogs past the darn mailbox. The recovery time is longer than I expected, because I've always come back quicker after surgery. I have had zero pain in my breasts, but the tummy tuck has been a bitch. My emotions go up and down. I go from comparing myself to the skinny models with no flaws to seeing that I have had a good result. I know nothing would make my body perfect and I wasn't expecting that, but sometimes I still get really discouraged. I would absolutely do this again and I would still travel to Texas and have the same surgeon. I think once my breasts heal you won't be able to see any scars. And that alone is worth it. I think the incision along my lower abdomen is not that ugly either. The belly button could use some help. Hopefully the dog ears disappear and the belly button heals pretty.

I forgot to mention that I followed up with my...

15 Apr 2013

25 days post

I forgot to mention that I followed up with my pulmonary Dr. today and I feel like I got good news. My chest x-ray was clear. The plan is for me to stay on my blood thinner for 6 months (xarelto) and to have the filter removed in about 3 weeks. If I ever have any surgery again I will be considered high risk for clots and have lovenox shots sub q post op and prob go home with it. Other than that I'm back to my healthy self, as soon as I get over my "Old lady act" So yes I would do it all over again.

I am now 4 weeks post mini UBL and Tummy Tuck and...

19 Apr 2013

29 days post

I am now 4 weeks post mini UBL and Tummy Tuck and I decided to update today because though this recovery has been alot harder than I thought, I woke up this morning and was absolutely thrilled with my stomach. The dog ears have gotten much better and I can tell that my new stomach is going to be fabulous. It doesnt hurt me any that I have slowly but steadily losing weight. Pre surgery I was 133 to 135 lbs and then my weight went up like 30 lbs post op due to all the IV fluids, but now I'm under 130lbs and it has made a hugh difference. The silicone in my breast have still not dropped yet, I am still wearing the bra 24/7 and waiting. I am driving now and I managed a few errands today, but then once I got home in the afternoon I was exhausted. I am supposed to go back to work on May 5th, but have decided I want to take a couple more weeks. I'm only part time anyways, but I'm just not ready to do a 12 hour shift. after 5 or 6 hours of being up walking around, I am exhausted and still pretty tender. What they say about having less of an appetite I have found to be true. Also now I seem to have gotten a nasty head cold, so that squishes your appetite also. Now that the tummy hurts less, my boobs seem to want in on the attention and have started hurting from time to time. It is not bad though, I'm mostly just taking it easy for pain control now. Having a hard time sleeping at night, because I am a stomach sleeper and sleeping on my back is harder and harder. I can't wait to be able to sleep on my side and stomach again.

Almost 4 months out. Going to need a revision on the breasts.

18 Jul 2013

4 months post

It has now been just short of 4 months. My tummy tuck is healing pretty well, the scar is getting less prominent and the dog ears are mostly gone. I am very happy with my tummy tuck. I still have a lot of numbness in my abdomen and it feels really weird when it is touched still. I am using a marble in my navel to try to get it to be round instead of triangular.

Unfortunately my breasts didn't turn out as well. They are still somewhat saggy. The tops of them look great, but there is loose skin under them and they don't look like I had hoped they would. I had a conference call with Elisa and Dr. H and I have scheduled a revision surgery for October. They say that they just didn't lift them enough and that they will look great after the revision. I hope they are right. They aren't charging anything for the revision, but I still have to pay for the cost of the surgical center and the cost of getting to Houston and staying there for a few days again.

As always, Elisa has been wonderfully supportive and has been in touch with me off and on while I am waiting for my revision.

After all of the complications I had from the first surgery, I am kind of scared to go back for more. My pulmonary doctor has outlined the precautions that will need to be taken to prevent blood clots this time and Dr H and Elisa have agreed. I am not expecting this to be as painful as the tummy tuck was but I am still going to be more proactive about my pain management than I was before.

I am able to ride my bike and swim again, but that has just been in the past few weeks. My husband loves my new body and can't seem to keep his hands off of it :)

I wasn't able to return to work till 8 weeks after the procedure. I had scheduled it for 6 weeks but was unable to return that soon. But my job is more taxing than many. I still have to be careful how I move and how I sit up.

I will try to add some photos soon.

I had my revision surgery yesterday on both breasts.

12 Oct 2013

7 months post

So as I mentioned before my tummy tuck turned out great but my breasts were not as good. My right implant stayed high on my chest but most of my breast tissue was below it, giving me a very strangely shaped breast. The left implant dropped too low and so my left breast was almost as droopy as before my surgery, but much fuller. So I returned to Texas for revision surgery on my breasts which took place yesterday.

Dr H. and Elisa moved the left implant up to match the right one and re lifted both breasts up high. It is too early to tell, but I think they are going to look really nice this time. They seem much higher and firmer but one day after surgery it is hard to tell.

I sure feel better this time. One day post op and I am able to walk all over the hotel. We even went to the mall and I walked around the mall for a couple of hours.

The pain is certainly there, but the pain meds keep it bearable and I am able to sleep OK. I would post some pix but at this point my breasts still look pretty torn up so I will wait a few days till things settle a little.

Dr H performed the revision at no charge but I had to fly to Houston again and pay another $3300 to the surgical center.

Five days since revision. Breasts seem to be shaping up really well. Posted some pix.

16 Oct 2013

7 months post

It has been five days since the revision surgery and I am pretty excited with the results. My breasts are now high and firm. They are still shaped funny but that is what I would expect this soon after the surgery. I am posting some pictures, one just before the revision (and 6 months after the original breast lift) and some other pictures 5 days after the revision. As always, Dr. H and Elisa have been wonderful and have helped me with everything I needed. The pain is very minor at this point and is easily controlled with the pain meds. I am feeling pretty close to normal and I am looking forward to how I think my breasts will look when everything is settled. I can already see the breasts being shaped my bra. We are flying back to Florida tomorrow.

Dr. Horndeski is a professional and very competent surgeon. He offers a unique procedure for both breast lifts and tummy tucks. Elisa is warm and wonderful and has gone far out of her way to help me. I did have complications from my surgery, but I don't think they were the fault of Dr. H. I am also going to need a revision on my breast lift so I can't totally say how that will turn out yet.